Quick 18: Johnson for Player of the Year? Not a done deal yet

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Stan Badz/PGA TOUR

With his win at Cog Hill, Dustin Johnson moved his name to the top of the short list for Player of the Year.

1. It wasn't a major, but Dustin Johnson's come-from-behind win Sunday was a major leap toward Player of the Year. Has anyone captured our imagination more than the bomber-off-the-tee, year-of-hard-knocks kid? First Pebble II (yes, the U.S. Open; he won Pebble I, the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am), then Whistling Straits. He just kept bouncing back. Things like that stick in your mind when you mark a ballot.

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2. No, Q-18 isn't saying POY is a done deal. Far from it. Phil Mickelson wins the TOUR Championship? Slam dunk. With a win, Steve Stricker, Ernie Els, Matt Kuchar and a handful of others could fly to the head of the short list, too.

3. It's not an 0-fer season yet. Yes, Tiger Woods went 0-fer-PGA TOUR events, but he's still got some individual events left this year -- in China, Australia and his own Chevron World Challenge. Until then, he's headed home to work on his game for the Ryder Cup. Q-18 agrees with so many others, including Sunday playing partner Phil Mickelson, that he's close. It still won't be a satisfying season. Trust us.

4. Not the lineup you expected at the top of the FedExCup standings? Maybe not, but it might be the most entertaining. Just think. For once, no one comes in as a must-win. And the field is filled with players you only kinda-sorta know, definitely like -- for a multitude of reasons -- and who don't genuflect to the old guard. If it's their time, it's their time. East Lake could rock.

5. You think they'll re-work the European Ryder Cup automatic selections? Uh, yes. And it's not because Paul Casey, who wasn't selected despite being the No. 9 player in the Official World Ranking at the time, is on the European Players board. With more European players joining the PGA TOUR, it seems time for the Euros to bend a bit more and take five players off the world ranking list, not four. "I think with guys like (Martin) Kaymer, (Graeme) McDowell and possibly others in the near future, joining the PGA TOUR, we could have a situation where, what are we going to do? And I understand the European Tour wants to protect the European Tour, but we also want to get the best team possible," said Casey.

6. As disappointed as Casey was, he's keeping it in perspective. Especially when the crowds chirp at him. "I've heard a lot actually, but the really funny one, I got a guy in Boston, I made a long putt on the 6th for birdie, and he goes, 'If that's the way you putt, I'm glad they didn't pick you.'"

7. The best way to tune up for the Ryder Cup? If you're Bubba Watson, you grab your Xbox and play Celtic Manor. According to his BFF Rickie Fowler, it could help. Although he admitted he's not sure how Bubba's doing, Fowler said virtual courses and real ones have similarities. "I played the World Golf Championship event this year at Firestone and a couple weeks later I decided to play it in the video game,'' Fowler said. "It's pretty close, but I think I play better in real life than I do in the video game. I probably get more upset playing the video game than I do on the golf course. You think of it being easy, but, for me, the video game is tough." #urwelcome.

8. Wondering if Tiger and Phil, who were paired together Sunday, talked about playing together at the Ryder Cup? Probably not. But someone did. Seriously. A media type asked Mickelson after he signed his card. Q-18 cringes at the thoughts running through heads shaking in that scrum. Mickelson's response: "Oh, come on." In case you've somehow forgotten, Hal Sutton paired them at the 2004 Ryder Cup and it was a disaster.

9. Since shooting 59 in the closing round of the Greenbrier Classic, Stuart Appleby has broken 70 just once. He shot 69 in the third round of last week's BMW Championship. And Paul Goydos? He opened with a 59 at the John Deere Classic and closed with three rounds in the 60s to finish second. Since then? Two rounds in the 60s and three missed cuts. Not saying 59 is a curse, but it's sure hard to follow up.

10. Gotta love Bill Murray's Carl Spackler. Gotta love even more that so many of Carl's funniest lines -- think "Cinderella Story" and "Varmint cong" -- were ad-libbed. So who did Murray channel for the role? "I thought of this traffic cop who used to work at 77th and Broadway in New York. He was completely miserable with his job, and he'd be muttering out the side of his mouth. I'd stay and watch him pretty regularly. He absolutely despised the people crossing the street.''

11. Q-18 heard Fowler likened to Justin Bieber. Really? We get the popularity point and long hair, but past that . . . nada. Fowler's 21-going-on 30 when it comes to maturity. He's got respect for the game and he's one of the new faces of the game. Bieber's all flash and trending the other way.

12. Seems as though Rory McIlroy has found a new role model -- on the tennis court. McIlroy met Rafael Nadal at the U.S. Open and was impressed with Rafee's passion and humility. "I couldn't believe how modest he is after all the success he's had and all the money he has won," McIlroy told the Daily Mail. "He still lives in the same village in Majorca where he grew up and he is still going out with the same girlfriend he has been with for years. He's a great role model for me. There are things in his demeanor I'd love to have his never-say-die attitude, his willingness to fight for every point." McIlroy also weighed in on Tiger's impact: "Tiger's mistakes are a big warning and a big lesson for me.''

13. He's retro. He's hip. He's Seattle grunge-meets-Bobby Jones. Yes, we're talking Ryan Moore, the tie-wearing, bring-on-the-vest player who has played his way into the TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola. Can it be long before one of NY's trendy fashion houses signs him up?

14. Who's in Mad Men star Jon Hamm's fab foursome? "I'd want a mix of good golfers and really funny people ... I'd love to play with Lee Trevino, because he seems like a real fun guy who's got a lot of great stories. Also Ray Romano, because nobody gets down on himself quite like Ray about how bad he's playing so that makes you feel better about your game. Tiger, I would love to play with that guy, I've seen him swing the club and I am utterly fascinated by how that guy hits a golf ball. That would be a pretty fun foursome, right? I could shoot 120 and I wouldn't feel bad," he told Golf Magazine.

15. Is the No. 1 player in the game also the No. 1 player of all time? According to Golf Magazine's player poll, Tiger Woods was a runaway winner in both categories. Of the 70 PGA TOUR players polled, Tiger pulled 52 percent of the vote for No. 1 player (to 26 percent for Phil Mickelson) and he got 51 percent of the vote to 29 percent for Jack Nicklaus as the No. 1 player of all-time. The full poll is in the October issue.

16. Australian Greg Norman has never been shy with his opinions, so Q-18 offers two of his many thoughts during a recent interview with The Scotsman.

First, on Sergio Garcia, who once dated Norman's daughter Morgan-Leigh, being a Ryder Cup vice-captain: "I think that was the best choice Monty (Colin Montgomerie) made, actually. Sergio is the type of guy who is passionate about winning and passionate about Europe. It is great for Sergio because I know he's been down in the dumps and his game hasn't been where it should be. He is great for the game of golf. He's got character and charm and is one of the few players who can put bums on seats -- you need guys like that. Everyone of us has gone through a down time but he'll be back."

Second, on Tiger: "His legacy, unfortunately, will be created not by the number of majors he won but what happened in 2009-10. Cyberspace is a killer. No matter what you do it is there. Someone can just Google 'TW' and there it all is. He's got to try and live with that. But time is a great healer. He'll be back. And, as a player, he's got a stronger wherewithal than probably any other player I have ever seen. He's determined; he wants it and will go and get it. However, I don't think the record of 18 majors (held by Jack Nicklaus) is a sure thing any more. As he gets older, the kids are getting younger. And they are not intimidated by him any more."

17. According to the Myrtle Beach Sun News, players won't face the same bunkers-in-gallery problem at Kiawah Island's Ocean Course in 2012 that arose at Whistling Straits this year and cost Johnson a shot at the 72nd hole. The sandy course played with waste areas during the 2007 Senior PGA and the paper quotes 2012 championship director Brett Sterba as saying, "That decision probably won't be announced until a week or two before the tournament, but it's likely all the sand will be played as waste areas, as they were in 2007.''

18. It's a blessing and a curse to be Jack Nicklaus' grandson. Just ask Nick -- yes, it's short for Nicklaus -- O'Leary. The top tight end prospect in the nation, O'Leary was upset after officials waived off two last minute touchdowns -- the scores were confirmed on replay -- and his Class 4A defending state champ Dwyer High School lost a 26-22 nationally televised game on Labor Day to Cleveland Glenville at Ohio Stadium. Glenville players taunted the 6-foot-4, 230-pound senior, he responded with a gesture and was suspended by the Florida State High School Athletic Association for two games. Of course, cameras were on him because of the Nicklaus name -- his mom is Jack's daughter Nan -- and that made national news. Normally, a frustrated high school senior wouldn't make local news, let alone ESPN. The school is appealing the suspension.

Melanie Hauser is a columnist for PGATOUR.COM and can be reached at melaniehauser@gmail.com. Her views do not necessarily represent the views of the PGA TOUR.